HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – The Long Pine Key Campground is reopening Thursday, December 19, when visitors can enjoy newly paved roads, campsites and parking. The campground, closed due to budget realities for the first time in 2013 during the slower summer season, will be open for the rest of the busy winter season and staffed by employees and volunteers until April 15, 2014.

“We are very pleased to welcome campers back to the Long Pine Key Campground. The repaving work has been completed ahead of schedule and visitors can once again enjoy the unique opportunity to camp among the largest remaining stands of pine forest in south Florida,” said Everglades National Park Superintendent Dan Kimball. “The pinelands are the most diverse habitat in Everglades National Park. Most of the pines in this area were logged before the establishment of Everglades National Park in 1947, so that makes camping at Long Pine Key Campground a very special experience.”

Long Pine Key Campground is located seven miles (11 km) from the main park entrance in Homestead, just off the main road. Visitors enjoy the campground’s 108 drive up sites for tents and recreational vehicles (RV’s), and one group site. A picnic area is nearby, with fire grates and rest rooms. There is also a pond for fishing, an amphitheater for winter programs, and several hiking trails in the area.

Long Pine Key Campground camping fees are $16.00/$8.00 per night for senior (U.S. Citizen 62 or over) or access pass holders (permanently disabled). Group sites are $30.00 per night. Sites are available in the Long Pine Key Campground on a first-come, first-served basis only. Reservations are not accepted, except for group camping (minimum 10 people).

Two drive-in campgrounds are located within the park. TheLong Pine Key Campground is located seven miles from the main park entrance in Homestead. The Flamingo Campground is located about 38 miles from the main park entrance in Homestead, near the Flamingo Visitor Center on the shores of Florida Bay. Both campgrounds accommodate tents and RV's with a limited number of group sites. Please click this link for more details on frontcountry camping. http://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/frontcamp.htm

WHAT: The Long Pine Key Campground is reopening and visitors will enjoy newly

paved roads, campsites and parking.

WHEN: Thursday, December 19

WHERE: Long Pine Key Campground is located seven miles (11 km) from the main